Occupy Santa Cruz takes over vacant building on River Street

SANTA CRUZ - Santa Cruz police, clad in riot gear, moved to clear demonstrators from a vacant building taken over by Occupy Santa Cruz demonstrators late Wednesday afternoon.

Occupy Santa Cruz members and other demonstrators made entry into the former Coast Commercial Bank building at 75 River St. late Wednesday afternoon and hung an "Oocupy (sic) Everything" banner from the roof.

Just after 6 p.m., about 30 officers attempted to secure the entrance to the former Coast Commercial Bank building as demonstrators barricaded themselves from the inside using office furniture.

According to Zach Friend, spokesman for the police department, the officers were trying to secure the entrance so no additional people would go in and they were hoping to have a dialogue with the people inside.

Shouting "pigs get out" and "we are the 99 percent" demonstrators outside the building linked arms and moved toward the police. Police eventually backed up and moved away as demonstrators cheered and chanted.

Police left the scene because they didn't think it was safe, said Friend.

"We will evaluate new ways to open communication and hopefully this group isn't representative of a new aggressive movement," Friend said.

Earlier in the afternoon, demonstrators had rallied outside the Chase Bank on Ocean Street before moving to 75 River St. The activity caused traffic delays at River and Water streets near downtown. Police blocked off part of South River Street between Water Street and Soquel Avenue, but reopened the street just before 8 p.m.

The demonstrators took over the building as a response to the economic crisis, predatory lending and the foreclosure crisis.

"We think private property just sitting there useless is immoral," said demonstrator Mark Paschal. "It's just taunting those on the verge of foreclosure and struggling economically."

There were mixed opinions about whether the actions represented Occupy Santa Cruz as a whole. In a release issued Wednesday afternoon, it was stated that the actions were taken by a group of demonstrators "in solidarity with Occupy Santa Cruz."

"The formerly vacant building at 75 River St. is being re-purposed by an autonomous group, in solidarity with Occupy Santa Cruz," stated the release. The group has taken the building "with intentions of using the space in a productive way that benefits the community of Santa Cruz."

If police were to return Wednesday night, "the plan is for the occupiers inside the building to continue to barricade themselves in and for those of us outside to give the police as much passive resistance as possible," said Steve Pleich.

Monday, Occupy Santa Cruz sent a letter this week to the County Board of Supervisors asking for a moratorium on foreclosures and evictions, citing a history of bank fraud and a recent increase in home foreclosures and evictions.

Supervisors John Leopold and Neal Coonerty said Wednesday that they hadn't seen the letter yet and could not comment. Supervisors Mark Stone, Ellen Pirie and Greg Caput could not be reached for comment Wednesday.